After huddling with Biden, Democrats sound moderately optimistic about passing his progressive agenda


Democrats came out of five hours of meetings with President Biden on Wednesday insisting they aren't in disarray over twin spending bills that make up the core of Biden's domestic agenda. But not too many outside observers seem convinced. Biden first hosted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), then with a group of 11 House and Senate moderates, and finally a group of House and Senate progressives.
The goal was to help broker an impasse between the centrists, who want the House to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill next Monday and are noncommittal about an under-construction reconciliation package worth up to $3.5 trillion, and the progressive wing, which wants the centrists to commit to passing the reconciliation package and has threatened to sink the infrastructure bill without concrete assurance. Without a resolution, both bills could fail.
"We are on schedule — that's all I will say," Pelosi said after the hour-long meeting. "We're calm, and everybody's good, and our work's almost done." Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a key progressive, said "there's a lot of give and take" and "it's tough, but I think at the end of the day, we're going to be fine." Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) said at the 90-minute centrist huddle, "everybody had a chance to say their piece, and there was a lot of pieces said."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The "most important development" from Biden's mediation, a senior White House official told Politico, is that the "moderates agreed that they need to coalesce around an offer to the liberals," which was "a real breakthrough." Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), a key centrist, recounted Biden's main request: "Please, just work on it. Give me a number, and tell me what you can live with and what you can't." Biden "was very straightforward in what he asked us to do," he added.
While the centrists work on their bottom line, the White House said Biden and his team have scheduled several follow-up meetings, starting Thursday. "The first step was to convene all of us, and get us to start acting like grown-ups again," said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). "The next step is to develop a procedural pathway, and the final step is to negotiate all of the substance." Those steps, he added, "have to happen in that order."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imagination
Feature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Google: A monopoly past its prime?
Feature Google’s antitrust case ends with a slap on the wrist as courts struggle to keep up with the tech industry’s rapid changes
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacy
Feature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
-
Democrats’ strategy to woo voters for 2026: religion
The Explainer Politicians like Rob Sand and James Talarico have made a name for themselves pushing their faith
-
‘We must empower young athletes with the knowledge to stay safe’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
Hostile architecture is 'hostile — to everybody'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
Why are Trump's health rumors about more than just presidential fitness?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Extended absences and unexplained bruises have raised concerns about both his well-being and his administration's transparency
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law